Charlotte Flair, daughter of the one and only Ric Flair, is well on her way to becoming the greatest female wrestler in WWE’s history.
Here are five fast facts you should know about the Queen.
5. She Made Her Wrestling TV Debut In 2000
Charlotte joined WWE in 2012, but she actually made her pro wrestling TV debut 12 years prior for WCW. Charlotte, her mother, and Charlotte’s late younger brother Reid all appeared in a segment on the May 15, 2000 episode of Monday Nitro, in which Vince Russo, Jeff Jarrett, Daffney, and Charlotte’s older half-brother David Flair trespassed the Flair home in North Carolina. Charlotte was 13 years old at the time, and while she didn’t have any lines in the segment, her acting skills were evident.
Charlotte would appear on both WCW and WWE TV a handful more times before she eventually decided to follow in her father’s footsteps.
4. She Had No Training Prior to Joining WWE
Given how gifted Charlotte is in the ring, you’d think she’s been wrestling most of her life. But it turns out it’s just good genes: Charlotte didn’t have any training in the squared circle prior to signing a developmental deal with WWE.
Of course, it helped that she was already a decorated athlete, having won two NCHSAA 4 A-State championships for volleyball in high school. Charlotte trained under Lodi in North Carolina before transferring to NXT in Tampa, where she was trained by Sara Del Rey.
Bonus fact: Charlotte signed her WWE developmental deal on May 12, 2012, almost 12 years to the day after making her TV debut on WCW. I’d say 12 is her lucky number.
3. She’s A Survivor Of Domestic Abuse
In her 2017 autobiography, Second Nature, which she co-authored with father Ric Flair, Charlotte candidly opened up about the abuse she endured at the hands of her first husband, Riki Johnson.
Charlotte wrote that Johnson was “Jekyll and Hyde,” and recalled several instances where he became physically violent:
In one, “Riki started swinging at me like we were in a street fight. Over his screams, I could hear his fists hit my arms. I managed to block most of the punches, but one shot got me in the ribs. I began to gasp for air, but he didn’t stop.” In another, “Riki punched me right in the head.” “I think about that girl now, and it brings tears to my eyes. How did I get there? Why was this going on? Why wasn’t I strong enough, brave enough, to end this?”
It couldn’t have been easy for Charlotte to open up about something so hurtful, but in doing so she helped shine a light on domestic violence. It can happen to anyone – and more importantly, Charlotte’s story is proof that victims can not only survive, but thrive.
2. She Ended Asuka’s Undefeated Streak
Chances are I don’t have to remind you of this, but it more than deserves a spot on this list: Charlotte was the one to finally end Asuka’s legendary undefeated streak.
No one thought it would happen, but at WrestleMania 34, Charlotte submitted Asuka via the Figure-Eight, thus retaining the SmackDown Women’s Championship and snapping Asuka’s undefeated streak at 914 days. Charlotte’s win was the most shocking WrestleMania moment since Brock Lesnar’s defeat of The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX, and will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most shocking moments of all time.
1. She’s The Only Wrestler To Have Held All Three WWE Women’s Titles
A handful of women on WWE’s roster have held both the NXT Women’s Championship and either the Raw Women’s or the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but Charlotte is the only one who’s held all three.
Charlotte became the second-ever NXT Women’s Champion in April 2014, defeating Natalya in a tournament final to win the vacant title. She held the title for 258 days before dropping it to Sasha Banks in a fatal four-way match at NXT TakeOver: Rival.
At WrestleMania 32, Charlotte defeated Banks and Becky Lynch in a triple threat match to become the inaugural Raw Women’s Champion, retiring the Divas Championship (which she also won) in the process. She would go on to win the Raw Women’s Championship three more times.
Charlotte was traded to SmackDown in the 2017 Superstar Shake-Up, and subsequently defeated Natalya to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship, making her the only (unofficial) women’s triple crown champion in WWE. As of this writing, the women closest to matching this achievement are Sasha Banks and Bayley – but they’d have to switch brands first. Alexa Bliss has held both main roster titles, but she was never NXT Women’s Champion.
Are you a fan of Charlotte Flair? Do you think she’ll go down as the greatest female wrestler of all time? Share your thoughts below!
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